Thoughts on Leadership, Life and Fun stuff

Archive for August, 2012

“I want to look better, what should I wear?” I get that question all the time. My answer, however, might surprise you. I don’t point people towards a store, a brand, or even a personal stylist. Here’s my advice: You have to “feel” good before you can “look” good. Your outlook and attitude have more impact on the way you look than what you’re wearing. You can dress up in the most expense designer suit, but if you’re a miserable, unhappy person, you’ll still come across as, well, miserable and unhappy guy with nice clothes on. If you buy something that makes you feel sharp and well-dressed, you will carry yourself much better every time you wear it. But before you decide that the double-pleated, stone-washed jeans is your best “look,” ask a trusted source if they agree. It’s all about the fit. Beyond style, well-fitting clothes will make you…

When was the last time you learned something from someone younger than you…much younger? The idea of youth learning from the aged and wiser has been around forever, but I often think of the lessons that those who are younger than I can teach me. Besides helping the elderly figure out technology, young people have something to offer that is uniquely theirs: perspective. As a communicator and someone who leads a team into the uncharted waters of tomorrow, I need perspective. I often seek council of those whose knowledge base is broader and deeper than my own. And more times than not, these individuals are accomplished professionals on the top of their careers–men and women whose life experience and knowledge have grown with their age. But when my job is to communicate across cultures, demographics, and psychographics, my focus must turn to those in my target audience. In times like…

Yesterday I need to see an eye doctor. By the time I made that decision my left eye was in bad shape. It had been swelling since Saturday and by Tuesday the swelling had grown to Quasimodo proportions. At 3:30 in the afternoon I finally decided that I needed to see a doctor. A quick Google search brought up a clinic not far from my office: Primary Eye Care Group . I was prepared for the typical response “we are booked up but might have something available tomorrow afternoon.” That’s not at all what happened. Gwen answered the phone and got my sad story of how bad my eye was doing. “Well, then we need to see you right away. Let’s make sure that eye doesn’t get any worse,” she said with southern charm and care in her voice. “Can you be here in 15 minutes?” And just like that…

Sometimes you have to lose a battle before you can win the war. There’s nothing appealing to me about losing anything–not a battle, not my keys, not even weight these days. But in business, as in life, we must pick our battles carefully even to the point of letting go of what we are certain of in order to accomplish the bigger goal. I was reminded of such dynamic as I saw a large Interstate billboard featuring a campaign The A Group has developed. There’s nothing wrong with the billboard. It’s well designed, legible, and its message clear. The main problem is that it’s not the most effective way to market the product. The return on investment (ROI) on the expensive billboard is not proven. So why do it in the first place? The billboard was an important piece for the client. The ability to see their marketing campaign…

Every organization has a culture that sets not only the vision, mission, and goals, but also pace and tone. These dynamics define not only the bottom line of productivity, but also the interpersonal dynamics across the entire organization. And the organizational culture is set by its leader. The tyrant creates a fear-based work environment where he keeps everyone on their tiptoes and worried about their job security. Most people try to avoid the wrath of the leader by keeping their heads down and doing what they are told. It stifles creativity and initiative. High capacity individuals don’t last long in this environment. The arrogant leader creates a non-learning organization. Enough success in one area becomes a reason to become the expert in every area. In this setting people talk more than they listen. Disaster is just around the corner, however. The passive leader creates chaos. Leaders who avoid confrontation usually…

“The two greatest enemies of vision: being sedated slowly and being seduced by momentum.” Those were the words of my Pastor, Pete Wilson this past Sunday. As I thought about that statement for the past day, it still resonates with me and my experience in both growing my business as well as consulting with organizations world wide. When you are a new business or brand new non-profit you cannot help but be laser focused if you are going to succeed. After all, the competition has more resources, and both broader knowledge and bandwidth to get things done. Start ups cannot compete on the broader spectrum, they have to go deep in one area, a niche, if you will. But the larger and more “stable” any organization gets, it becomes easier to start going wide and to lose focus in order to pursue other fun and interesting options that most likely…

I have had my eyes on these shoes for quite some time. With summer almost over, I think it’s going to be my next purchase. The monk double strap shoes have been around for a long time. The monk refers to the style of shoe once worn by Alpine monks in the 15th century. It is a moderately formal shoe: less formal than a full Oxford (American: Balmoral); but more so than an open Derby (American: Blücher). In between these, it is one of the main categories of men’s shoes. The double strap with buckles have been making a come back in the past few years. You’ll be seeing a lot more of them in the days to come. What’s your take on the monk strap shoes?

Every minute you spend with someone who is a negative influence in your life is a minute you could spend with someone else who could be helping you grow. While such thinking might sound self-serving, and it can be if all you care is yourself, it can help you make a smart choice about investing your precious time. The longer I live, the more time becomes a precious commodity. It seems to accelerate with each passing year. The long days of impatiently waiting for birthdays and holidays to come around of my youth are now replaced by the sudden realizations of “where has this year gone?”. I have finally realized that some relationships, whether professional or personal, are completely draining. Like a black hole that takes everything in its path, these depleting relationships never give back. They only take. Mentoring and volunteering aside, those closest to us have the greatest…

We often cannot choose our circumstances, but we can always choose our attitude. I was reminded of this maxim recently as I sat down to eat at The Coffee Shop, a small breakfast and lunch restaurant in Marathon, (pronounced Mer-thon) Texas, population 450. The place looked like something out of a 1950 movie set: an old corner building with a few tables outside and a few more inside. A couple of local men in cowboy hats mingling inside and a few visitors to the area having their breakfast outside. As it turns out a lot of people come from all over the world to visit Marathon, a town in the middle of nowhere in west Texas. The vastness and the “lost-in-time” feel of the area attract people who want to experience the grandeur of the American West. Francine waited on me and had a notebook filled with names of people…

I’m sure whomever created these church signs had very good intentions. But as you and I know, intentions don’t count. People will always judge you on execution. What’s the most memorable church sign you’ve seen?